Thursday, September 2, 2010

On H4-Searching for a Job

Getting a job on H4 is as hard as it can get . But , I feel it is not impossible. As they say, nothing is impossible as long as you want it bad and you are ready to work hard for it.

I am not new to swtiching jobs. In my 6 year career in software industry, I have worked for 3 companies , given at least 10 interviews . My last company had 7 rounds of interview which I cleared without much problem. But, I have never searched for a job while I was unemployed. My job search effort was as esay as sending my resume to a friend who will forward it to his/her HR and I would get a call.

However, when you are on H4 it is not only your work experience that matters. You need to search for the job in an organized way. I am not sure if I am following the right way, but at least I have succeeded in getting few interview calls which I feel is not a bad start considering I am on job hunt from only few months.

So, before getting into my job hunt experience , I would like to share how H4 people can work in US. You have different options like

-Do your MS and then get a H1 through company which for campus selection( Most preferred by people on H4)- Find a company for full time job who will sponsor for your H1b-Find a consultancy who will hire you on contract with companies and sponsor your H1

For me, option 1 was not much appealing as I dint want to study for 2 years in technical line. I would like to go for MBA at some point in my career. However, I would go for this option if I end up failing at option 2 and 3

Option 2 , I think is the hardest. Most of the companies wont hire someone who needs visa sponsorship. That too if it is new H1 (If you are already on H1 , quota system does not apply so companies will just have to transfer your H1)

But, if you find a company who agrees with hiring an H4, it is the best option. When you go to any company career site and search for a job you will see an additional disclaimer saying "No visa sponsor ship". Basically means you can not apply for that job.

So , your job hunt gets restricted by it. Also, you need to find out which companies have sponsored for H1 in the past. So this is what I do.

1. Go to site "http://www.myvisajobs.com/", here you get all the details about companies who have sponsored for H1 in the past2. Go to each company career site(minus the Indian based companies who will not hire candidates from US unless they have green card. This makes sense, because they will have many h1 b s in India ready to travel if required) 3. Go to their career site and search for your expertise4. See if they have additional disclaimer which I have mentioned before5. If not,apply for the job(Make sure you have a well documented Resume,Cover letter before applying)

I know there are thousands of companies listed there. But, I never said job hunt was easy. did I? I have been applying for these jobs from last 2 months. Each day filling up at least 30-40 forms. Believe me, filling up these forms can test anyone's patience. But , never give up.

Next best thing is searching through "LinkedIn". Here, recruiters post the jobs directly . So you can search for the Jobs and contact the recruiter directly if you match the Job criteria.

There are other sources like popular job search sites which did not work for me. I have tried it there too. I have never been contacted by any company seeing my visa status. I remember getting many calls when I was in India through these sites.

Coming to option 3- Finding a reliable consultancy is a challenge. I have tried my luck at these agencies. But when I spoke to them, I always felt like I deserved better . May be I was not lucky enough to come across professional consultancies. There are many "desi" consultancies who help in getting a visa. I am not comfortable going to them after reading all the reviews and also talking to few desi agents who have American names :) . Refer to site:http://www.desicrunch.com/ before approaching any desi consultancies.

Few things I always remember

- Not to lose hope. When you have enough experience, you will find a job one or the other day.-Keep working towards it.- Never get desperate and seek ways which is not legal.- Take break whenever you feel stressed.

16 comments:

Nice blog..I am also on H4 and pretty much did exactly what u mentioned and haven't got any calls until now....your experience factor also counts greatly. From my experience background what i have seen is I'm much of a QA tester and no focus on programming language, if i had confidence in any one of the programming lang, i guess i would have got calls.

Nice blog .. i really feel better.Even i have started doing this .my background is Infrastructure.keep posting about your job hunt.i just got a call from a recruiter,but i'm sure he wont call me again because of my visa status :)

It's such a predicament to come on a H4. I've been on it for a year and a half and it's been tough. It's so difficult for people on an H1B to get a new job, that getting one while on an H4 is tougher. I've had that too. People call, ask about experience, hear the H4 and say they'll get in touch through email or phone and never do. :) Good luck girls..!

Nice blog dear........but for me i dont even have the option of applying h1 becos quota is already done and have to wait for the next year ..i have 2yrs of exp plsql but wen i tried i couldnt get into the companies with this exp ... can you suggest me which domain is best for me to start my career and do you anyone who can train best ...

hey nice blog dear... Iam on h4 and i dont even have the option of applying h1 becos quota is done and i have to wait till next year ...i have 2yrs exp in plsql tried in diff compaies but could nt get into with this exp ....can you suggest me best domain to which i should get trained into, am not into technical much ... can you sugest me some best trainers and the consultancies..........

hi.. I have been thinking as to what to do with my precious education of 4 years of ENGINEERING and 2 years of MBA and 1 year of job ( ALL FROM INDIA) and yes i am on H4 for the past 10 months... thank god i saw this blog today tried understanding how to go abt it now. but this statement of "not getting call back from recruiters because of H4 visa status" really scares me. Would anyone be able to help me with some more ideas as to where and how do i START MY JOB SEARCH? i wud be really thankful.

Hi Prathima, this blog post is very handy as this is my exact situation now. I'm here since 8 months and I'm going by the option 2. I do have 4 years of IT experience, so I'm hoping I get H1 sponsorship. Thanks again.

First accept my greetings and regards.I recently got married and was remembering the days, back when i came to USA a year back and had lot of negative thoughts since was all alone in my huge apartment, now to cut the long story short, i don't want my wife to feel the same, once i will be going to work for whole day ..She had completed her MSc. in Mathematics and will be accompanying me very soon ..Please suggest should i go with option 3, Option 1 and 2, are not favorable.

I know H4 is painful.But there are other things we could all do is get involved in activities that will add value and sense of achievement into life.Try new sport,music,gardening..Yes if people have studied IT and want to approach someone to help them find job and file h1b .Please me your queries at anikasaha6@gmail.com. If i could help you.

Just stumbled upon this block. I know on h4 life is struggle.But lets all look at the brighter side.There are many things we can do while on h4.Getting involved in hobbies like a new sport,music, dance,zumba etc.On the other aspect i see many people may be working for just sake of get but the question is are they happy with it. Dear friends lets learn to enjoy life.Well i have also seen many people apply through consultancy and get jobs not upto satisfaction. well if some one is looking for such things please mail me at anikasaha6@gmail.com. May be i know few of them who could help you from IT field.If i could be help to somebody i will be more than happy to do that.Good luck to all! Just keep smiling friends:)

Hi I have started wit option 2. Bt little by little started losing hope. And since I am from biotech field and has no experience in companies. I dono whether to go for option 3.. and can u suggest consultant who help me in my field.